England’s Department for Education announced a multi-year compensation package for educators, following recommendations from the independent School Teachers’ Review Body. Teachers will receive a 3.5% increase effective this September, followed by a 3% increase the subsequent year, totaling a 6.6% raise over two years. Support staff have been offered a 3.3% increase backdated to April.
The government will provide state schools with an additional £1.8bn over the two-year period to partially offset the higher wage costs. However, schools will be responsible for funding roughly one-third of the pay increase increases through their existing budgets, raising concerns among education unions about financial strain. The National Education Union stated that schools would need to find £460m from already stretched resources, which could result in the loss of approximately 8,300 school positions. The NEU indicated it was exploring potential industrial action, having previously authorized strike ballot procedures contingent on the government’s funding commitments.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated the government requested the review body recommend a 6.5% award distributed across three years, but the independent committee instead proposed a higher percentage condensed into a two-year timeframe. The DfE noted that teachers will have received a cumulative 17% pay increase since the previous election cycle, with average salaries reaching more than £52,800 this September and exceeding £54,400 the following year.
Additionally, the government allocated £485m in supplementary funding to colleges and further education institutions over two years to support staff retention efforts. The government also introduced new restrictions on academy executive compensation, establishing a £174,000 salary cap with requirements for government approval for higher amounts. The Confederation of School Trusts criticized this measure, arguing it would create bureaucratic obstacles to recruitment and leadership retention.
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